2014 mitsubishi outlander Reviews and News

A crossover holds out such promise, doesn't it? After all, it's supposed to be not just a glorified shopping cart but also a family adventure vehicle. Or at least that's what we say to ourselves when we go to the garage late at night and look at it in the dark amidst the soccer shoes, bicycles, lawn tools, and dog kibble.

So it was with eagerness and a sense of optimism that we walked into the chill desert morning in Bend, Oregon, and discovered a 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander waiting for us. The sun had just come over the horizon, lighting the snow-covered peak of Mt. Hood, and we could picture ourselves dropping a fishing line into the water in Crooked River Gorge.

Big and bland

Then we saw the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander and felt like we were back in the garage. As it's been explained to us, the Outlander has followed the life stages of the people at Mitsubishi, who, it seems, have moved on from mountain bikes to home ownership. Apparently they like things smooth and not too complicated, because big and bland is the style message. At least the new bodywork has a slippery 0.33 Cd, which improves fuel efficiency.

The 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine featured in Outlander ES and GS models is also about fuel efficiency. It is rated at an unimpressive 166 hp at 6000 rpm and 162 lb-ft of torque at 4200 rpm, but with the help of a continuously variable transmission and a chassis that's 220 pounds lighter than before, it delivers a very impressive 25/31/27 mpg (city/highway/combined).

Lancer With a Lift Kit

Beneath the new bodywork is a refined version of the previous Outlander's chassis with a 105.1-inch wheelbase. The model range is equally familiar and includes the front-wheel-drive ES-FWD and SE-FWD models as well as the all-wheel-drive SE S-AWD and GT S-AWD.

Our favorite Outlander continues to be the GT S-AWD. It's not just the responsive combination of the 224-hp 3.0-liter V-6 and six-speed automatic transmission, it's also the way this powertrain works with the four-mode Lancer Evo-style all-wheel-drive system, which varies power delivery not only front and rear but also side to side.

The 2014 Outlander GT S-AWC will walk right up a slippery, scree-choked grade so simply that even a novice can drive to an isolated fishing spot. That's important, because family values aren't always enough when you're out there in the garage with the dog kibble and wondering what the weekend will bring.

New For 2014

Despite riding on a platform that is very similar to the last Outlander, the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander is a new design from head to toe.

Vehicle Summary

Introduced in late 2013 as a 2014 model, the new 2014 Outlander is the third iteration of Mitsubishi's mid-size crossover. Despite looking and feeling like an all-new product, the 2014 Outlander actually rides upon the same platform and mechanicals as the second-generation Outlander. As such, the 2.4-liter four-cylinder and 3.0-liter V-6 engines are carried over, but a plug-in-hybrid Outlander is also under development. Seven-passenger seating is standard on all trim levels, although passenger space in the third row is limited, to say the least.

Overview

What's this; an all-new Mitsubishi product? Indeed, the 2014 Outlander -- along with the new 2014 Mirage hatchback -- is one of the two new global products that Mitsubishi is rolling out around the world. Although its platform isn't all-new, you'd never know from outside the vehicle. The 2014 Outlander looks larger and more substantial than before, even though Mitsubishi's engineers labored to whittle some 200 pounds from the vehicle's curb weight.

Our biggest complaint with the prior Outlander was its interior refinement -- or rather, a lack of it. Thankfully, the 2014 Outlander does away with the cheap-looking, banal plastic materials that plagued its predecessor. A fair amount of soft-touch materials are used throughout, while the driver faces a sweeping instrument panel that's handsome if not revolutionary. Forward-collision mitigation and adaptive cruise control are two technologies we're surprised to find on a Mitsubishi -- and hard-pressed to find on many of the 2014 Outlander's immediate competitors.

Calling the 166-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder found in the Outlander ES and SE models adequate is perhaps generous, although four-cylinder Outlander models do return impressive fuel-economy figures. Front-wheel-drive models are rated at a surprising 25/31 mpg city/highway. Even though its fuel economy slips slightly to 20/28 mpg, we prefer the grunt offered by the 224-hp, 3.0-liter V-6, which is offered only in the 2014 Outlander GT. All-wheel drive remains standard equipment on the Outlander GT but is now offered as an option on the four-cylinder 2014 Outlander SE for the first time.

The 2014 Outlander may not jump out from the already-crowded crossover segment, but at long last, it's a stylish, contemporary, and competent vehicle.

You'll like:

Impressive fuel economy

Seven-passenger seating

Stylish new appointments

You won't like:

Bulbous form isn't for everyone

Four-cylinder models are a bit short on power

Space for third-row passengers is tight

Key Competitors

Due to limited production capacity from its Japanese battery supplier Lithium Energy Japan (LEJ), Mitsubishi will delay the launch of the Outlander plug-in hybrid in the U.S. until 2015, according to Automotive News. The model first went on sale abroad in January 2013, and LEJ is currently in the process of expanding production to build enough Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid batteries for the U.S. market.

Mitsubishi’s presence in the U.S. may be small, but its two crossovers, the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander and the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport are the sole bright spots in the lineup with relatively strong sales lately. Now, these two crossovers have been done up in active lifestyle gear by Mitsubishi and the H360 creative services agency to represent different seasons of the year and the active sports that go with them.

Mitsubishi has been in need of some good news lately, and now it has some thanks to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which just rated the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander a Top Safety Pick +, the highest possible rating. To earn a Top Safety Pick + designation, vehicles must score a good rating in the moderate overlap front, side, rollover, and rear crash tests, in addition to an acceptable or good rating in the newer, more challenging small overlap front test.

Mitsubishi will provide two vehicles to serve as safety cars for the upcoming Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The primary vehicle is a 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander, and a pair of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution sedans will provide additional support.

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